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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Debbie Riby
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Previous eye tracking research on the allocation of attention to social information by individuals with autism spectrum disorders is equivocal and may be in part a consequence of variation in stimuli used between studies. The current study explored attention allocation to faces, and within faces, by individuals with Asperger syndrome using a range of static stimuli where faces were either viewed in isolation or viewed in the context of a social scene. Results showed that faces were viewed typically by the individuals with Asperger syndrome when presented in isolation, but attention to the eyes was significantly diminished in comparison to age and IQ-matched typical viewers when faces were viewed as part of social scenes. We show that when using static stimuli, there is evidence of atypicality for individuals with Asperger syndrome depending on the extent of social context. Our findings shed light on the previous explanations of gaze behaviour that have emphasised the role of movement in atypicalities of social attention in autism spectrum disorders and highlight the importance of consideration of the realistic portrayal of social information for future studies.
Author(s): Hanley M, McPhillips M, Mulhern G, Riby DM
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Autism
Year: 2013
Volume: 17
Issue: 6
Pages: 754-761
Print publication date: 01/11/2013
Online publication date: 17/09/2012
ISSN (print): 1362-3613
ISSN (electronic): 1461-7005
Publisher: Sage
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1362361312456746
DOI: 10.1177/1362361312456746
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